1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for holding a number of bottles, and in particular to bottles containing fluids such as toiletries.
2. Description of Related Art
Travelers often carry in their luggage a number of toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash or gel, shaving cream, toothpaste, hand or facial lotion, after shave, etc. Full-size bottles of such toiletries are ordinarily too bulky to be carried on most trips. Carrying several miniature bottles may be feasible but finding them all at shower or bath time can be a problem.
Some travelers use a toiletries kit, which is a small zippered pouch holding a variety of toiletries. While such a kit will keep toiletries together and organized, the kit cannot be brought into a shower stall and used during a shower. Furthermore, accessing individual bottles is cumbersome since the traveler must hunt through the kit, identify the correct bottle, remove the bottle, and then use and replace it before searching for the next bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,182 shows a complicated panel that is not designed for easy portability. A shell 24 has a cover 28 hinged to the top of a back panel 26, which may be secured to a shower wall by glue, screws, or two-sided adhesive foam. A number of bottles can be placed on back panel 26 so lower pump handles 74 can protrude through cover 28. The panel has complex structure for holding bottles in a predetermined position. Bottles 20 can be filled with shampoo, grooming liquids, etc.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,251 the bottles 16 can be filled with shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, etc. Thereafter, the pump handles 32 can be inserted through holes in cover 14, which is then locked in place on back panel 12 so that caps 54 rest on ledge 56.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,967 bottles 36 are screwed into annular tops 40, which are glued into counterbores 22 of countertop 12. The hinged front door 66 can be swung down in order to unscrew and refill bottles 36 with shampoo, mouthwash, hand lotion, etc.
In FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,580 bottles of shampoo and conditioner can be placed on shelves with their valve caps extending through notches in the shelves. The hanger is shown suspended by a hook on a shower head pipe.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,503 housing 11 is mounted in a shower and a number of bottles 30 can be screwed into the underside of housing. The housing has a hand pump and dispenser nozzle for dispensing shampoo, etc.
In FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,178,061 four containers 34 rest on shelf 22 on the inside of refrigerator door 14. Faucets 28 protrude through notches in the front apron of shelf 22. Containers 34 can be filled with beverages by removing covers 42.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,522, shampoo, conditioner, etc. can be poured through the openings 24 to fill the compartments 14 in container 12, which is suspended from the shower head by hanger 16. These liquids are dispensed by pressing dispensing buttons 56.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,242 four large bottles of different cleaning chemicals are placed on a top rack and connected by caps 47 and tubes 42 to siphoning valves 28. When one of the siphoning valves 28 is operated, water from hose connection 31 is discharged while the cleaning chemical is drawn from one of the large bottles and mixed with the water.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,462 bottles 18 and 20 can be removed from receiver 26 and replaced. The bottles are filled with oil and can be lifted as shown in FIG. 2 so that oil will be siphoned through line 22 to a shower head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,715 interlocking containers can be secured to the wall of a shower by adhesive strips. The container lids can be removed to refill the container with shampoo, liquid soap, etc.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,006 squeeze bottles can be hung valve-end-down from a towel rack to dispense shampoo, conditioner, etc.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,090 a suction cup supports a handle that is inserted into a pocket molded in the side of a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, or the like.
Accordingly, there is a need for an container that can hold a number of toiletry bottles that can be easily transported.